Drowning, which means suffocating in water, can be stopped, but sadly, it happens a lot.

It’s the main reason why young kids between one and four years old die.

Rowdy Gaines, who won gold medals in swimming at the Olympics three times and is now a big supporter of swimming safety, joined us Wednesday afternoon to share some tips for keeping kids safe in the water.

He says drowning happens in front of grown-ups most of the time. It can happen very fast, in less than half a minute.

It’s not like in movies where people scream for help; drowning is quiet.

Those inflatable arm bands might make kids feel safer, but they don’t teach them how to swim right.

Every year, nearly 4,000 people drown in the U.S., and the number is going up.

Rowdy Gaines gets an alert every time a child drowns in the country. He gets about three or four alerts a day.

He wants to stop kids from drowning. He’s working with Step into Swim, a program that teaches water safety and gives free swimming lessons to kids in different neighborhoods.

Things like always having a grown-up watching kids in the water and not getting distracted by phones can prevent drowning from happening.

It’s about having enough safety measures near pools, knowing CPR just in case, and more. Take a look at the full interview above for further insight.